Hinata of the Desert
by Sango Hikari
Summary: [AU] Hinata is the Kazekage of the Sand. Gaara is the heir to the Hyuuga clan. What happens when their chance encounter turns into a deadly trap?
1. Sunagakure

Well, after the amazing success of my other Gaara/Hinata story, I've decided to write another, only with a pretty big twist. Any comments are greatly appreciated, since I'm kinda unsure about this idea. Enjoy!

**Title: **Hinata of the Desert

**Summary: **Hinata is the Kazekage of the sand. Gaara is the heir to the Hyuuga clan. What happens when their chance encounter turns into a deadly trap?

**Pairing: **Gaara x Hinata

**Rating: **Teen for future language and violence.

**Warnings: **Anime and/or slight manga spoilers.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gaara, Hinata, or anything else related to Naruto. I do own this story, however.

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Hinata sighed, setting down her pen as she turned to gaze out the window. Her eyes drifted back to her desk, where a large pile of paperwork was sitting, waiting to be done. She briefly closed her eyes and leaned her head against the smooth, cool glass as she look down at the streets of Sunagakure. The village of which she was the Kazekage.

Many people had disapproved of her becoming the Kazekage. Most had thought of her as too weak and gentle to lead the village, especially when it came to war and such. However, being the only daughter of the previous lord and having no other siblings, she was the only obvious choice to succeed her father's position after his death the year before.

Even Hinata hadn't thought herself up to the tedious job of being the Kazekage. She felt, like many, that her only living relative – her cousin, Neji – should have taken the position instead. But that was not how it worked. Only a direct descendant of the previous lord could follow in his footsteps; cousins and the like were not even considered for the job, even if their skills were far superior. At least, this was how it worked in the Village Hidden in the Sand. In other villages, it really was the strongest shinobi in the village who was chosen as the leader, whether they were descendants of previous lords or not.

This wasn't to say that Hinata was weak; on the contrary, she knew a variety of different techniques, varying in elements: earth, wind, water. The one she specialized in was, of course, earth, where she could manipulate and control sand at her will. Other skills, though she wasn't entirely fluent in using them, could and had helped her out of many situations, and she had proved time and again that her abilities were up to par with many of the talented shinobi in the village.

A sudden knock came at the door, startling Hinata out of her thoughts. "C-come in!" she called, rushing to pick up her pen to give the allusion that she was indeed doing her work. After becoming the Kazekage, the stutter that she had always had mostly disappeared, but it still appeared on a few occasions, such as when she was startled or nervous. Just as she had picked up her pen and was ready to pretend to work, the door opened, revealing none other than her cousin.

"Oh, hello, Neji-nii-san," she said, once again placing down her pen. Neji was the one person she felt truly comfortable around; she knew that, even if she had been caught slacking off, he would only quirk an eyebrow and nothing more. This trust was shown in the way she addressed him, calling him as if he were indeed her own brother.

"Hinata-sama," Neji said, bowing slightly; even if there was a mutual bond between the two, it wasn't in his nature to drop the formalities. "I've been informed that there are two members of Konohagakure who wish to speak with you. Shall I let them in?"

Hinata blinked. Though there was a peace treaty between the two nations, rarely did someone from the Village Hidden in the Leaves make the trip to her village, and vice-versa; not only were the two at least three days' journey away from each other, but there were also many smaller villages in between them, and travelers faced the danger of being attacked.

"Yes, please do," the young Kazekage said after a moment. Neji complied, opening the door to reveal two male shinobi that she wasn't familiar with. One had shoulder-length black hair and deep blue eyes, while the other, somewhat shorter than his companion, had short blond hair and brown eyes. They both bowed and introduced themselves as Rai and Mori, Rai being the taller of the two. They were both Jounin.

"Kazekage-sama," Mori began, "I'm sure you are aware of the recent death of the Third Hokage." Hinata nodded; it was common knowledge that the old leader had been killed by a spy from Otogakure. "Our village has since been in complete disarray. The new genin have no missions being assigned to them, and some of the chuunin have taken it upon themselves to take them out on various tasks that are far above their level. The amount of criminal activity has increased greatly, and after the assassination of the Hokage, no one can be sure if those around them are spies as well."

"The reason, as I'm sure you can guess, is because we lack a leader," Rai said, picking up the explanation. "We desperately need a new Hokage. We have many promising candidates, but with the current condition of the village, there's no one to make a selection that everyone will agree with. We've been sent by the Council of Elders to ask for you assistance in determining who would be fit to be the next Hokage."

Hinata was silent for a moment. She had been expecting some sort of proposal, but for Konohagakure to be asking for her advice in a matter that was strictly related to their own village was surprising. It struck her as odd that they hadn't already picked out the next Hokage, seeing as the former one had indeed been getting on in years. To be asked to participate in selecting the next one was something she knew she couldn't refuse, however, for it would give the illusion that she didn't want to help them, and would increase the tension between the two nations.

"I understand," she said, rising from her chair. "When does your village require my presence?"

"As soon as possible," Mori replied. "That is, of course, if you have the time. We were asked to bring you back with us if possible, but we realize that on such short notice this is not a reasonable demand. Instead, we would like to bring back word on when you will be arriving, so that we can have the proper reception waiting."

"Well then, please tell the Elders that I will be leaving here in three days' time."

"If you like, we can wait until you're ready and escort you to the village," Rai said.

"Thank you, but I'll have to decline," Hinata said. "Judging from what you've told me of the condition of your home, it seems as though they need every available shinobi to help out. I would hate to keep you any longer, in case you're needed. Feel free to stay the night at one of our inns and rest for the journey home."

"The village will send someone to meet you halfway, then, to help ensure your safe trip," Mori said. "We would hate for anything to happen to you on account of us. Not that it would, of course," he added. After talking for a few minutes more, the two Jounin bowed and left. As the door close behind them, Hinata turned to Neji, who had been standing to the side the whole time.

"You'll be coming with me, then, won't you, Neji-nii-san?"

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"Why do I have to go?"

Hyuuga Hiashi groaned silently to himself. "Because it would give the Kazekage a good impression of the village if the heir to the Hyuuga clan goes to greet her and gets her to the village safely."

Gaara's blue-white eyes stared blankly at the wall opposite him, his face void of any emotion. Being the antisocial person that he was, he had no desire to go meet the Kazekage and escort her back to the village; however, being that he was indeed the heir to the famous Hyuuga clan, he knew he had a responsibility to do it, whether he liked it or not.

"Alright," he said with a sigh. "I obviously don't have a choice. When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow," his father replied. "You are to go and meet her halfway between here and Sunagakure, then make sure she gets back here safely. As a precaution, your sister is going with you."

At this, Gaara's eyebrow twitched. "I don't need anyone to go with me," he said curtly. "I am perfectly capable of completing this mission on my own." His father was adamant, however, and refused to be persuaded. "Temari is going with you, just in case something were to happen. That is final."

At that moment, Temari poked her head into the room. "Oh? We have a mission?" she asked, adjusting the large fan that was draped across her back. As well as practicing the usual Hyuuga skills, the kunoichi also specialized in wind techniques, and had all but mastered them. She was the oldest of all three of Hiashi's children; their brother Kankuro was in the middle; and Gaara was the youngest. Normally, it would be the eldest that would succeed the Hyuuga clan, but Gaara had shown such great talent at a young age that the family was willing to make an exception.

"Yes," Hiashi answered. "You will go with your brother to escort the Kazekage to the village tomorrow." His voice was firm, showing that there would be no negotiating the terms of the mission. "Now, I suggest you go and get a good night's rest, since you will be leaving first thing in the morning."

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Hinata gazed back at her village once more before leaping into the trees, Neji at her side.

It had been three days since the meeting, and she was heading towards Konohagakure as promised. Many had protested her departure, saying that it was too dangerous for the Kazekage to leave the village with just one companion; however, as she clearly stated, it would be easier traveling with just the two of them, and they were less likely to be spotted by enemies than if they were traveling in a group.

The first day went by uneventfully, and when it got dark, they decided to stop for the night. The two sat around a newly-made fire, warming their hands by the flames. "If all goes well, we should meet up with whoever they have sent to greet us halfway," Neji said after a long moment of silence.

"Yes," Hinata replied. "They sure were kind to send someone to meet us, especially since we didn't give them much notice of our departure." She knew the real reason for their gesture, however: they wanted to make a good impression on them by sending a well-trained and talented ninja to escort her to the village, perhaps even someone who was a possible candidate to become the next Hokage. Still, she did appreciate it, if only to have someone else to travel with; for some reason, she had a strange feeling that something was about to happen, and she felt that she would be safer with more people.

She hadn't told Neji about what she was feeling. She was sure it was just her being paranoid about being so far away from her village. Since becoming the Kazekage, Hinata hadn't been on any real missions, or even been out of Sunagakure for more than a day at a time; most of her job was spent in her office, since there hadn't been war or anything of the sort since she took up the position. As such, though she was feeling anxious and worried, she was also excited about seeing everything between her home and Konohagakure, and even the village itself.

The night passed peacefully, and soon the two were traveling through the trees once again. After a while, the forest parted into a wide, open field. Flowers of many colors were in bloom, hiding the grass beneath a sea of red, orange and violet. Many of the plants, Hinata knew, held a special milk-like substance in their stems, which could be used to slow the flow of poison in the body, or could be applied directly to wounds to help stop bleeding. She bent down and picked a few, stashing them in her bag in case they were needed in the future.

They continued on. The field was surprisingly large; and quiet as well. Hinata had been there only once before, when she was still a chuunin and on a mission. She remembered that there had been birds flying low to the ground looking for worms or other insects, and rabbits had been scampering through the flowers, stopping here and there to nibble at the grass or to bathe in the sunlight. Now, the only sound to be heard was the rustle of the flowers in the breeze; there were no animals in sight.

After nearly a half hour of traveling through the field, Hinata welcomed the familiar sight of trees as they entered yet another forest. In the midst of the trees was a small stream, which was the designated meeting place for the shinobi of the two villages. They slowed their pace as they heard the sound of water, and followed it to the stream. Here they filled their canteens and sat down on some large rocks, glad to have a rest after the non-stop wandering.

"We seem to have arrived a little early," Neji remarked, glancing up at the sun. "I did not think we would get here without any trouble. We should use this opportunity to catch our breath while we wait." Hinata agreed, and it wasn't long before they heard voices approaching the clearing.

"Temari, you're going too slow."

"I can't help it, Gaara! You're the one going too fast! You should listen to your sister once in awhile."

"Hn."

The bushes nearby parted, and out stepped two shinobi, a boy and a girl. The blonde-headed kunoichi seemed to perk up when she saw the two sitting on the rocks. "Hello! You must be the Kazekage of Sunagakure, right?" Hinata nodded and stood up, Neji doing the same. "You two must be from Konohagakure, correct?"

"Yup! I'm Hyuuga Temari, and this is my brother, Gaara," Temari said. Gaara only grunted as a greeting, staring blankly at the trees. Hinata then introduced herself and Neji, eyeing Gaara warily. "Oh, don't mind him," Temari said, sending a quick glare at her brother. "He's a bit…antisocial."

"Well then, shall we get going?" Neji said, looking towards Hinata to see if she was ready to leave. His cousin, however, was looking intently into a tree opposite them, paying him no attention. "Hinata-sama?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke. "There's someone here."

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Well, that was a little longer than I'd expected, but I kind of like how it turned out. Like it? Hate it? Don't forget to review and tell me what you think, and if I should continue it or not!


	2. Attack

I'm terribly sorry for the late delay! I had another story that I was a bit…obsessed with, so I've been working on that one for awhile (not to mention I was having major computer issues). But it's done now, so I can finally focus on this one! The thing with this story is that I had the idea for while, but I wasn't entirely sure where to go with it. Now I have a completely different idea than what I started with, and I think it'll work out. Be warned that **there will be manga spoilers.** Major ones, at that, if you don't know much about the Akatsuki aside from what's been released in the anime (which is pretty much nothing). Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I got some really good feedback, which made me really happy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

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"There's someone here."

"So, the Kazekage is as talented as the rumors say." The small group looked up and saw two figures standing on a branch high in a tree. They both wore a long, dark cloak with red clouds, the collar covering their chins. Their fingers were decorated with purple nail polish, and each wore a ring on a different finger: one wore his on his right ring finger, and the other on his left.

Neji instantly took up a defensive position. "Who are you?"

"That is not important," one of the men said. He had black hair that disappeared into his cloak and matching eyes. He also wore a Konoha headband, but it had a line scratched through it. "We are here for the Kazekage. The rest of you will leave if you want to live."

"Aw, that's no fun, Itachi," the other said. He had the distinct appearance of a shark: he had pale blue skin, small white eyes, and gill-like facial structures. There was also a large sword on his back. His headband was that of Kiragakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist, and it had the same line through it. "It's been awhile since I last sliced someone up. Can I just kill one of them?"

"That's not why we're here, Kisame," Itachi replied. "The quicker we complete this mission, the better." He turned away from his partner and focused on the group below him. "Now, I'll say this again: hand the Kazekage over, or you will die."

Neji's eyes narrowed. "Sorry, but that's not going to happen. We'd never hand her over to the likes of you."

Itachi sighed. "Come on, you didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?" Kisame asked. "When was the last time we were able to get one of the tailed beasts without a fight?"

_Tailed beasts…are they after Shukaku? _Hinata wondered. At the mention of his name, the one-tailed beast fidgeted anxiously inside his 'cage', wanting desperately to come out. Unfortunately for him, Hinata had a good grasp on how to control his power, and his desire for blood remained unfulfilled.

"I'm getting sick of all this," Temari said. "I may not know what the hell you're talking about, but we've already made it perfectly clear that we're not handing her over to you. So get lost!" As she spoke, she took the giant fan from her back and unleashed a powerful wind attack towards the two mysterious shinobi. By the time it reached the tree, however, the two were gone. Itachi appeared behind Temari as she fell to the ground, knocked unconscious by a single blow that was delivered so fast, no one could see it; and Itachi's eyes were now red.

"You must be Uchiha Itachi of the Akatsuki," Gaara said, speaking for the first time. "I remember hearing my father talking about an organization that was extracting the tailed beasts from their hosts, and that one of them was the one who annihilated the Uchiha clan: Uchiha Itachi." The reason that Gaara knew what the tailed beasts were is that he was friends with Uzumaki Naruto, the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox, and knew about the Akatsuki's attempt at capturing him to remove it. Naruto had left out the exact details of who it was that had actually tried to kidnap him, and the rest he had learned on his own.

"Judging by the color of your eyes, I'd say that you're a Hyuuga," Itachi said. "That explains why your father was told about us. However, just because you know who I am, that doesn't mean you stand a chance against us." His eyes fell to the kunoichi that was lying on the ground beside him. Temari stirred, but did not wake. "I'm a bit surprised that you don't seem worried about your companion, since she appears to be a relative of yours."

"An attack like that wouldn't kill her," Gaara replied. "If it did, then she has no right to be called my sister." In truth, he was a bit worried about Temari; but he wasn't the type to show his emotions, especially when an enemy was present. "Still, I suggest that you step away from her."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That sounded like a command. What makes you think that a puny ninja such as yourself can tell me what to do?" As he spoke, his eyes began to change; they were still red, but the pupils looked more like pinwheels. Kisame, who had been standing to the side, looked surprised. "Itachi, what are you doing? There's no need to use your Mangekyo Sharingan on that kid!"

"You've heard of him, haven't you, Kisame?" Itachi said. "He's the only one in the history of the Hyuuga family to become the next heir even though he was not the first born. He may not look it, but he's one of the most powerful ninja to emerge from that clan in a long time, and we don't have time to waste with him." Before Gaara could react, he was staring Itachi directly in the eye; the instant he did, the genjutsu had been cast.

_The first thing that Gaara noticed was the red moon._

_It shone bright in the sky, casting an eerie glow on his surroundings. Looking around, he saw that he was standing outside the Hyuuga complex. Everything was unnaturally quiet; no wind blew in the trees, no birds or insects chirped in the night. The placed seemed to be deserted aside from his presence; until he saw the man. He had just jumped from one of the windows, and something was slung over his shoulder. Upon closer inspection, Gaara saw that it was a young girl: Hiyari, his sister. Hiyari was the first born in the main family, and was thus expected to become the next heir._

_She died that night._

_For reasons unknown, Hiyari had been in poor health since she was born. Her skills were unrivaled to everyone but Gaara, who had far surpassed all other shinobi of the clan; however, she was forced to train in small sessions because of her illness, and wasn't allowed to become even a genin until her health improved. She expected to get better over time as she grew older, but she was eight years old at the time, and was thus confined to only the most basic training even though it was obvious that she could easily move on to more intense exercises._

_That night, a shinobi from Kumogakure, the Village Hidden in the Clouds, had come to kidnap her to learn the secrets of the Byakugan, the Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuuga clan. Gaara watched as he fled the compound, Hiyari thrown over his shoulder like a sack. Hiashi appeared and delivered a swift blow to the ninja, killing him instantly. He gently picked up his daughter, noticing that she was burning up with a fever. She'd had an attack earlier that night where she had broken into a coughing fit, unable to stop, and had been instructed by the family doctor that she should stay in bed and not exert herself until her small fever was completely gone; otherwise, it could strike again, and even worse than before. He also warned that under no circumstances was she to go outside. It was the middle of winter and the snow was falling; the abrupt change in temperature would put a large strain on her body._

_Hiashi instantly rushed inside, carrying the hot body of Hiyari. Gaara found that all he could do was watch as the scene unfolded in front of him; he was unable to move, unable to even speak. Then, though he couldn't move, he found himself in a small room inside the house. In the middle of the floor a futon was laid out, and Hiyari lay in it, breathing heavily. Her face was bright red, and the wet cloth on her forehead was doing nothing to stop the beads of sweat that rolled down her cheeks._

_Gaara found his attention focusing on a young boy in the corner of the room. Two others stood on either side of him, and he recognized them instantly as Temari and Kankuro. The one in the middle was him when he was only five years old. The three stood silent as the doctor examined their eldest sister, knowing by the look on his face that the news wasn't good. Suddenly, Hiyari opened her eyes. "Otou-san…" she muttered, her voice shaking. "I'm…sorry. I know that…I can't become the Hyuuga heir the way I am now. I…I've only managed to cause you…trouble." Hiashi seemed about to protest, but she just weakly shook her head and turned her attention to Gaara._

"_Gaara…please come here a moment." Gaara did as he was told, going over to sit by her side. "We've become…so close recently, haven't we? We've been…having so much fun together. You always made me feel…so happy. You were the only one…I could truly talk you. You're so young, even younger than I am…yet no matter what I said, you would always listen. No matter what…you were always the one I could count on." Hiyari reached out from beneath her blankets and grabbed his hand. "Gaara…you may be the youngest, but you have so much talent. It would have been…so much easier on everyone if you had been born first instead of me. Now Temari will probably have to become the next heir…and do what I could not. Kankuro will be the one who's always behind her, supporting her. And you, Gaara…I want you to look after the both of them. Because even though I'm the oldest…I was never able to." Hiyari stopped as she began coughing again. Her grip on Gaara's hand tightened._

"_Otou-san…I know it would break the rules, but…I really think that Gaara can be the next heir. I…he has more talent than I do, and I can see…that he has almost unlimited potential." Her eyes began to close. "I'm sorry, Otou-san…I'm so tired…I think I'll go to sleep now…" Hiyari closed her eyes and her irregular breathing slowed slightly, showing that she was in a deep sleep. Hiashi told everyone to go and get some sleep as well, but Gaara refused and continued to hold Hiyari's hand. She died shortly afterward, and even then Gaara wouldn't let go; not until the next morning, when he began crying._

_Out of everyone in his family, Hiyari was the only one he truly felt comfortable around. He could laugh when he was with her; he could talk about anything without the fear that he would get scolded for saying it. And, in turn, Hiyari told him everything; about her fears that she would disgrace the Hyuuga family because she couldn't become the next heir, and how she never caused anyone anything but trouble._

"_That's not true," he told her once. "You never cause _me _trouble. We have fun together, don't we? Why would that bother anyone?"_

_After Hiyari's death was when Gaara began to lock his emotions inside. He never again wanted to feel the pain of losing someone that he cared about. He distanced himself from everyone, focusing on nothing but his training. Because it was the former heir's last wish, it was decided that he would become the next heir, while Temari strayed from the path of Hyuuga techniques to practice wind ones, and Kankuro went on to work on his own type of ninjutsu._

_Gaara was forced to relive the memory, watching for a second time as his life fell apart in an instant. He watched as his former self shed tears, and felt as if his heart was being torn in two. _This is what I was trying to prevent, _he thought to himself. _These feelings…I never wanted to feel them again. Never… _he felt a single tear roll down his heart, and felt that he would never be able to escape the pain._

Gaara fell to his knees, his eyes wide as he sat breathing heavily. In the time that it took for him to relive the memory, less than a minute had passed. Temari, recovering from the sudden attack, stood shakily and rushed over to him. "Gaara!" She cried, crouching down worriedly beside him. She turned to glare at Itachi, who had deactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan. "You bastard! What did you do to him?"

"I only made him remember something painful," Itachi said, his voice void of any emotion. "It's his own fault for having a weak heart." Temari was seething with anger. "Why you…" She seemed about ready to attack again, but was stopped as a barrage of sand went flying towards him. Itachi managed to dodge, but some of the sand scraped his cheek, causing a small bit of blood to leak from the cut.

"Stop it!" Hinata yelled, her hands on the ground to allow her to control the sand. "Those two have nothing to do with this! I'm the one you want, right? Then fight me!"

"Wow, she's a feisty one, isn't she?" Kisame remarked. He was leaning lazily against a tree trunk, watching the scene with an amused look on his face. His smirk faded, however, as two shuriken embedded themselves in the tree on either side of his head. "Next time, I won't miss," Neji said, holding several more in his hand. He threw them, and Kisame jumped into the tree to avoid them. Neji followed and began bombarding him with taijutsu techniques, leaving Hinata and Itachi alone.

No words were spoken between the two as they began to fight. Hinata send another flood of sand towards him, which he easily dodged and countered by throwing five shuriken towards her. A wall of sand formed in front of the young Kazekage; the shuriken hit it and clattered harmlessly to the ground. When the shield was lowered, however, Itachi charged towards her, punching her in the stomach. His hand glowed for a moment, and as the light faded Hinata fell forward. He caught her, examining the damage he had done. Her jacket had been burned through, and the shirt underneath was black. Smoke was swirling from the burnt clothing, and a small black flame danced briefly before going out.

"Kisame, we're going," Itachi called, holding Hinata under one arm. Kisame looked up from where he had Neji pinned to the ground. "Already? But I haven't killed anyone yet!" He seemed about to say more, but one glare from Itachi and he was silent. "Damn. You got lucky today, kid." Kisame went over to Itachi, and a moment later, they were gone.

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Well, I hope I managed to make up for the long delay. Please review and tell me what you think of it so far, since this was kinda a random idea I had. Arigatou!


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